“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Pericles

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. Amidst its’ great beauty, there is great drama. As the days grow shorter, the leaves of the trees become vivid with color, and when the sun casts its’ amazing golden hue over everything it is truly breathtaking. Yet, it does not take long before the true nature of this season becomes a reality. It is a season of decrease. After the harvest comes winter, but before the ground becomes hard, something wonderful happens. Seeds are scattered, the seeds that will turn into the new growth of spring. During lunch recess the other day, some of the students and I watched as this happened right before our eyes. The wind was blowing the leaves off the trees. We watched and laughed as the leaves danced before us on the ground. The leaves were carried too and fro swirling around us in wild abandon. Moving this way and that, no one could predict which way they would be tossed next, or where their final resting place would be.

Parker Palmer in his book “Let Your Life Speak” shares his experience with realizing the autumn of life. How he rarely saw autumn as a time of seeding, rather he focused upon the fact that summer had ended and now death was inevitable. There is a paradox within this season of dying and seeding of decline and hope for the future. In many ways, our lives are like the seasons. Often change means allowing some experiences to fade while focusing and placing emphasis on new ventures.

I have entered an “autumn” period in my life at Fairview. As I write this, I realize that some of you have already heard the news of the changes happening within my life and how those changes effect Fairview Christian School. In case you have not, I have resigned my position as school administrator effective January 3, 2009. I have been blessed to have been chosen (out of 700 applicants) to fill one of 30 slots in a medical radiography program here in Seattle. I am very excited about the opportunity. Beginning in January, I will work as a part-time pastor at Fairview, and will continue to be available to our new principal as he transitions into the leadership role of the school ministry. I am excited about Mr. Cultum, and believe that God has crafted him for this time and place. My goal in life has always been to do my best to follow what I believe that God has called me to be and to do. I have enjoyed my work with students and families here at Fairview Christian School these past 12 years, and have many wonderful memories, but is time for this chapter to close and I believe God is calling me to a new adventure. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving you and your family.

Thanks for reading.